Something curious happened when I started documenting my 6am gym sessions through music. What began as a personal creative project has evolved into a piece of content that Scott Fox now uses to communicate his Fitness Habitat SA brand. This wasn’t planned. It wasn’t commissioned. It just… emerged.
Which raises an intriguing question: What if the most effective brand content happens when we stop trying so hard to create brand content?
The Accidental Documentation
Let me be clear about what actually occurred here. I didn’t set out to create marketing material for Scott’s gym. I was exploring my ongoing fascination with virtual session musicians and wanted to capture something meaningful from my weekly routine. The gym provides such rich material – Scott’s philosophical approach, the community dynamics, the brutal honesty of early morning workouts.
So I documented what I heard. Scott’s actual words became lyrics. The atmosphere became rhythm. The community spirit became the song’s energy. No strategic planning. No messaging workshops. Just honest observation transformed into music.
The result? Scott’s using it across his marketing channels because it captures his brand essence better than traditional approaches ever have.
Beyond the Corporate Soundtrack
We’ve all endured those painfully obvious attempts where businesses try to seem culturally relevant by associating with popular music. This feels different, though I’m still unpacking why.
Perhaps it’s because the song doesn’t feel like marketing masquerading as entertainment. It feels like celebration that happens to communicate brand values. The distinction matters more than you might expect.
When you’re genuinely trying to honour something rather than sell something, the intent shows through. Audiences have remarkably sensitive antennae for authentic appreciation versus commercial manipulation.
The Questions This Raises
What if more businesses approached storytelling like documentary filmmaking rather than advertising copywriting? What stories are already happening in your organisation that someone with appropriate skills might capture authentically?
Most businesses have their own version of Scott Fox – someone whose natural wisdom and authentic passion could become compelling content. They have communities doing meaningful work together. They have transformation stories unfolding daily.
The challenge isn’t finding these stories. It’s giving ourselves permission to tell them without immediately sanitising them for commercial purposes.
The Documentation Experiment
Here’s what I’ve observed from this accidental brand content creation:
Observation beats invention: Rather than crafting artificial brand messages, I documented real moments and actual language. Scott’s motivational philosophy became compelling content not because it was designed for marketing, but because it emerged from genuine experience.
Community provides the texture: The song captures not just Scott’s voice but the collective spirit of our training group. Everyone featured feels seen and valued rather than used.
Authenticity includes the uncomfortable bits: The track acknowledges struggle, sweat, even the occasional bout of nausea. It doesn’t sanitise the experience for broader appeal.
Practical Applications Worth Considering
For businesses wondering how to apply this approach, perhaps start with documentation rather than creation. What stories are already unfolding? What wisdom is your team sharing naturally? What moments of genuine transformation are your customers experiencing?
The key might be finding observers rather than creators. Someone in your community probably has the skills and perspective to capture these stories authentically.
Different stories want different mediums. I chose music because I’m experimenting with musical storytelling. Your stories might want to be podcasts, short films, written narratives, or something entirely unexpected.
The Ripple Effects
What started as personal creative expression has become a powerful piece of brand communication. It’s creating deeper connections with Scott’s community while inspiring others to think differently about their own business stories.
Perhaps what’s most intriguing about this experience is how it reframes the relationship between creativity and commerce. Instead of asking “How can we use creativity to sell more?”, I asked “How can we honour what’s already beautiful about this experience?”
That shift in questioning leads to profoundly different answers. And in this case, to content that people actually want to share and discuss.
For businesses brave enough to listen carefully to their own stories, there might be unexpected content waiting to emerge. The question isn’t whether your business has stories worth telling. The question is whether you’re paying enough attention to hear them.
And whether you’re willing to let them be told authentically, even when you can’t control exactly how they’ll be received.
I can think of a few clients who might benefit from wandering down this track together, so to speak. What about yours?